Exercise jump stick



Jan. 17, 1967 B. HANSBURG EXERCISE JUMP STICK Filed Dec.

a ma M m 5 Z; 6 m 6 0 o ./fl La 4 f M to a frame member. foot rests upon "which the user may stand, and the frame extensions providing the desired foot rests.

Patent 3,298,686 Patented Jan. 17, 1'36? @iliice 3,298,686 EXERCISE JUMP STICK George B. Hansbnrg, Hansbnrg Acres, Walker Valley, N.Y. 12588 Filed Dec. 12, 1962, Ser. No. 244,189 1 Claim. (Cl. 27257) .tion of a spring biased post member, such as disclosed in applicants prior Patent No. 2,793,036. Problems arise in the use of Pogo sticks of the type disclosed in applicants aforementioned patent due to the lateral forces exerted on the vertically reciprocating components such as the post member arranged "for reciprocation with respect to a body supporting frame. The guide member defining the path of reciprocation of the post member with respect to the frame .is subject to relatively rapid deterioration, and the post itself is subject to abrasion and pitting due to the relatively substantial lateral stresses produced by the weight of the user on the bearing surfaces between the post and the frame. Though the spring 'biasingthe post to a downward position is intended to take all of the load exerted by the jumping motion of the user, considerable lateral stresses are present.

It isadditionally found desirable to provide some means of indicating whether maximum height of jump is being attained by the user of. the Pogo stick.

It is accordingly among the primary objects of this invention to provide an improved Pogo stick in which the deleterious effects of the lateral stresses exerted between the frame member and the post member of the Pogo stick are substantially eliminated.

Another important object of the invention is to provide .a Pogo stick with means indicating whether maximum height of jump is being attained by the user.

It is a further object of the invention to provide improved means simplifying, and reducing the cost of the "materials employed in fabricating the novel Pogo stick so as to reduce its cost.

These and other objects of the invention which will be made hereafter apparent are achieved by embodying applicants inventive concept in a novel Pogo stick in which a post member is mounted for reciprocation with respect The frame member is provided with is so shaped as to provide an abutment surface. The post is provided with a sound producing member, preferably in the form of a closed'fiexible bulb formed of rubber or the like with a constricted neck opening in which a whistle is arranged so that upon abutment of said flexible bulb against said abutment surface, air will be expelled through the whistle -to produce a sound. A novel guide member is formed for constraining the post to reciprocate in a vertical plane, substantially coplanar with that of the frame member. This novel guide member is formed by arranging, two plates for securement to the frame, and with Between the plates a bearing contour is formed, and a novel bearing surface is formed. therein by securing two sheets of relatively friction-free material such as Teflon, nylon, or the like synthetic material to the plates, lying along the contours of the bearing surface. A spring member is biased to act against the post so as to force same away from a top portion of the frame.

In the accompanying drawings in which are shown one or more of various possible embodiments of the several features of the invention,

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the novel Pogo stick, with parts broken away;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on 'line 2-2 of the Pogo stick of FIG. 1 as it would appear if parts were not broken away;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the foot rest and lower guide member provided with the novel bearing arrangement, and

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1 through the upper guide member.

Referring now to the drawings, the improved amusement device 10 comprises a frame 11 which, as illustratively shown in FIG. 1, is formed of a pair of elongated rigid frame members 12 and 13 fabricated of any suitable material having requisite structural strength such as wood, metal or plastic. Steel tubing is found particularly useful,

Frame members 12 and 13 are arranged in spaced parallel relationship along the greater part of their length. At their tops, the frame members 12 and 13 are brought together and joined by means of a fastening member 14 such as a rivet, bolt, or the like forming the frame members into the A-shaped configuration illustrated in FIG. 1. At their point of junction, frame members 12 and 13 provide an abutment surface 15. Handle members 16 and 17 are formed as a lateral extension of the frame members 12 and 13 respectively. These handle members extending laterally from the axis of the frame are provided at their extremities with cushioned handle grips 18 and 19 respectively.

Mounted on the spaced frame members 12 and 13', and extending transversely thereacross between the parallel portions thereof is an upper guide member 21) as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. Guide member 20 is formed of sheet metal stock, and is fabricated of two identical plates 21 and 22. Guide member 20 is provided with clamping jaws 23 and 24 on each end thereof for engagement with frame members 12 and 13 respectively. At the center of the guide member between the clamping jaws 23 and 24, a

bearing portion 25 is formed by shaping the plate members forming the guide member 20 into the illustrated configuration. Bearing portion 25 is provided with an inexpensive friction-free bearing surface, by arranging sheets 26, 27 of relatively friction-free material, such as nylon, Teflon, or the like material along the surface of the plates 21 and 22 prior to their assembly into the completed guide member 20. The sheets of friction-free material are conformed to the contour of the bearing surface so as to in effect provide a bearing sleeve without requiring the fabrication techniques and costs involved in molding a sleeve of given contour.

A lower guide member combined with a foot rest is arranged at the lower portion of frame 11 as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. This combined foot rest guide member 30 was described, are conjoined by means :of rivets 37, or the like fastening members. A reinforcing dimple 38 is upset between the flanges 33 and plate portion 39, and a similar reinforcing dimple 40 is preferably provided between the clamping segments 34 and the plate portions 39.

Before assembly of the plates 31 and 32 into the foot rest guide member combination 39, two bearing surfaces 41 and 42 are provided within the bearing halves 36 by arranging a relatively friction-free material such as nylon, Teflon, or the like along the contours of the bearing halves with a portion of the friction-free sheet material engaged beneath the rivets 3'7, lying between the clamping segments 34 and the bearing halves 36, similar to the above described upper bearing 25.

The assembled foot rest guide combination 3% is secured to the lower end of frame members 12 and 13 by insertion of the lower ends of frame members 12 and 13 into the clamping segments 34 and the subsequent extension through the clamping members and the lower ends of frame members 12 and 13 of a fastening member 45 such as a rivet, bolt or the like, as shown in FIG. 2.

Before securing the foot rest guide assembly 313 to the frame 11, a post 50, formed of relatively rigid material, preferably steel tubing or the like, is provided with a coil spring 51 extending thereabout. Collars 52 and 53 at the upper and lower ends respectively of the spring encompass the free ends of the spring. The upper collar 52 is adapted to abut against the lower end of bearing portion 25 and the upper guide member 20 and the lower collar 53 abuts against a removable stop member 55 such as a cotter pin or the like, extended through an aperture 56 formed in post 50. At the upper end of post 50, which extends through the bearing 25 of upper guide member 20, a sound producing element in the form of a flexible bulbous member 60 is arranged with a whistle 62 at a constricted portion of the bulb member within post 50. Air exhaust apertures 63 are formed in post 50. The lower end of the post member 50 is provided with a cushioning pad, preferably in the form of a crutch tip 65 or the like.

Similar cushioning elements in the form of foot pads 66 are arranged to cover the foot rest flanges 33, as shown in FIG. 1.

The post 50 with its associated spring 51 is assembled with respect to the frame by extending the post 50 through the upper guide member bearing 25 so that the neck of bulb 60 lies above bearing 25, the lower collar of the spring is arranged over the cotter pin 55 in a fashion such that approximately one-third of the length of the post will project beneath foot rest guide assembly 30, and the foot rest guide is riveted by rivets 45 to the lower ends of frame members '12 and 13 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In use, the novel Pogo stick is employed as Pogo sticks conventionally are, by the user positioning his feet on the foot rests 33 and balancing himself on the Pogo stick so that his Weight will force frame 11 downwardly against the biasing action of the spring 51. As the frame moves downwardly, the abutment surface 15 between frame members 12 and 13 will contact the bulb 60 to compress same and drive air through the whistle 62 to produce a desired sound. This sound will only be produced in the event that the spring has been compressed a desired distance, thus indicating that maximum forces are being obtained upon rebound of the spring.

Since, in the process of maintaining ones balance on the Pogo stick, considerable lateral forces are exerted between the post member 50 and the frame 11, these lateral forces tend to produce considerable abrasive wear between the bearing surfaces and the post member, particularly at the point of force application, namely, adjacent the foot rests. These lateral forces have been substantially accommodated by provision of an inexpensive bearing sleeve insert, formed by utilizing the sheet material of friction-free material such as nylon or Teflon. Though bearing surfaces 26, 27 have been illustrated and described as provided-on bearing 25 of upper guide member 20, it is found that such surfaces are not always required since lateral forces adjacent the upper bearing are relatively small as compared to those at the lower bearing 36 and do not usually exert a deleterious effect on the post.

The device above described is extremely durable and capable of long use in that friction has been substantially minimized, and the construction of the device of inexpensive readily fabricated sheet metal stock components serves to permit effecting of economies in the manufacture of the product.

The provision of the sound signal indicative of the fact that available spring forces are being completely utilized, serves to increase the enjoyment factor of the device, and serves further to indicate whether or not adjustment of the spring is required. Adjustment of course is possible as described in applicants aforementioned patent by positioning the cotter pin in a different post aperture to vary the spring tension.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claim, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description, or shown in the accompanying drawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A Pogo stick comprising a pair of elongated tubular frame members formed of a relatively light structurally strong material extending substantially parallel to and spaced from each other for at least a portion of their length. a handle formed at one end of said members, a foot rest affixed to said members at a point remote from said handle, said foot rest comprising a pair of elongated juxtaposed plates extending transversely to said frame members and straddling the latter, means retaining said plates in secure engagement with said frame members, the respective ends of each pair of plates extending laterally outward from the frame members and defining foot supporting surfaces, opposed inner surfaces of said plates midway between said frame members having concave arouate surfaces defining a guide portion, a second pair of elongated plates extending transversely between said frame members and straddling the latter between said foot rest and said handle, means retaining said second pair of plates in secure engagement with said frame members, opposed inner surfaces of said second pair of plates midway between said frame members having concave arcuate portions defining a second guide portion axially aligned with said first guide portion, each of said pairs of juxtaposed plates having a pair of strips of relatively friction free sheet material retained therebetween and lining the concave surfaces of said guide portions, a post extending slidably through each of the lines guide portions and a coil spring encompassing a portion of said post between said second pair of plates and a point remote therefrom rigid with said post, said spring reacting against said remote point and said second pair of plates, said post being formed with a sound producing element at the top thereof, and said frame members forming an abutment surface against which said sound producing element bears when said frame has moved a desired distance to actuate said sound producing element.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,959,169 5/1934 Marinacci et al. 2,793,036 5/1957 Hansburg 272--57 2,871,016 1/1959 Rapaport 27257 3,116,061 12/1963 Gaberson 272-57 OTHER REFERENCES Carlyon: Research/Development, vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 36-37, Plastics Ease Way for Sliding Bearing Design.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

G. KITA, L. I. BOVASSO, Assistant Examiners. 

